Methods and systems for cloud- and mobile device-based biological inventory tracking

ABSTRACT

The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer program products for biological inventory tracking using cloud services and mobile devices. According to one method, information is input from a mobile device about a specimen sample. The information includes an image of the specimen sample captured using the mobile device including an identifying indicia. The information is uploaded and stored in an encrypted format accessible to authorized and verified users. At least one characteristic of the specimen sample is determined based on the information. Tracking and status information, as well as notifications or reminders, regarding the specimen sample are provided in real-time or near real-time to the mobile device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationSerial No. PCT/US16/54314, filed Sep. 29, 2016, which claims the benefitof priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/236,188 titled“Methods and Systems for Cloud- And Mobile Device-Based BiologicalInventory Tracking,” filed on Oct. 2, 2015, which applications and theircontents are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a specimen sample collection mobileapplication, and more specifically, to methods and systems forbiological inventory tracking using cloud services and mobile devices.

Description of the Related Art

In the field of medicine, where collection of biological inventory suchas specimen samples (e.g., blood, urine, etc.) is common, inventorycataloguing is an important function, and convenient and accuratetracking of inventory items is desirable and often necessary to maintaincompliance with regulatory guidelines. While some options for digitalsample collection and management exist in the marketplace today, mostare cumbersome, complex, and take too much time for users to submitdata. For example, while many technicians have smartphones and maintaindigital schedules for when specimens are to be collected, there is noconvenient way to leverage these items to quickly and easily input therelevant details of a specimen once it has been collected, track thestatus of the specimen throughout testing, or prompt the technician ifthere is a mismatch between the expected specimen collection scheduleand the actual specimen collection records.

Accordingly, a need exists for a convenient solution for sending sampledata to other systems such as clinical trial management systems andelectronic health records.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, andcomputer program products for biological inventory tracking using cloudservices and mobile devices. According to one method, information isinputted from a mobile device regarding a specimen sample. Theinformation includes an image of the specimen sample captured using themobile device and an identifying indicia. The information is uploadedand stored in an encrypted format which is accessible to authorized andverified users. At least one characteristic of the specimen sample isdetermined based on the information. Tracking and status information, aswell as notifications or reminders, regarding the specimen sample areprovided in real-time or near real-time to the mobile device.

In one embodiment, the system may include an application whosefunctionality is distributed across multiple platforms: a mobileapplication running on mobile devices, a cloud-hosted service, and aweb-based application. In another embodiment, a system includes a mobiledevice, a data store, and a wireless communications system configured toperform the method described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overview diagram illustrating example components andfunctions for cloud hosted specimen sample tracking using a mobileapplication according to an embodiment of the subject matter describedherein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system for cloudhosted specimen sample tracking using a mobile application according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for cloudhosted specimen sample tracking using a mobile application according toan embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter described herein includes an easy-to-use mobileapplication to assist customers with automating tracking of specimensample collection. In contrast to conventional configurations, which arecumbersome, complex, and take too much time for users to submit data,the present disclosure leverages a hybrid development framework (such asPhoneGap, Ionic, or Appcelerator) to create an intuitive interface forautomating specimen sample collection.

For example, the embodiments disclosed herein use mobile and cloudtechnology in combination with digital image files to allow a technicianto use a mobile device to capture information of a biological specimensample for cataloging and tracking at point of collection. The inventiondescribed herein allows for recoding of images, barcode or otherindicator information, location information, and other metadata. Acloud-hosted inventory management system may provide for post-collectiontracking, e.g. the specimen sample status, chat or other conversationregarding the specimen sample, packaging information, storage status,and delivery.

Using a portable electronic device, such as a smartphone equipped fordigital imaging, a digital image (or images) of the inventory itemassociated with a pre-printed barcode or other indicator is created. Theimage and other data is captured in the file by a mobile applicationexecuted on the mobile device and then synchronized with a managementsystem over the Internet or other wireless connection or direct datatransfer. The cloud-based data store may then automatically create andstore the information for every specimen sample, associating thespecimen sample image with the barcode detected in the image (if thebarcode or other indicator is optically recognizable) as well as withany other data included in the file.

In one embodiment, metadata may be captured along with the capturedimage. Image metadata may include text information pertaining to animage file that is embedded into the file or contained in a separatefile that is associated with it. Image metadata may include detailsrelevant to the image itself as well as information about itsproduction. Some metadata may be generated automatically by the devicecapturing the image. Additional metadata may be added manually andedited by the technician or an administrator. Metadata may include a GPSlocation, which can be used to link to a facility from which the sampleis being collected.

FIG. 1 is an overview diagram illustrating example components andfunctions for cloud hosted specimen sample tracking using a mobileapplication according to an embodiment of the subject matter describedherein. For example, information is input from a mobile device 101 abouta specimen sample 102, such as a vial of blood. The mobile applicationmay also request additional information to be input relating to thesample 102, environment, and the like. The additional information may beinput by the user of the mobile device. The information includes animage of the specimen sample 102 captured using the mobile device 101including an identifying indicia 105 (e.g., the identifying indicia mayinclude a barcode label affixed to the blood vial). The information isthen uploaded and stored in an offsite server 100 (e.g., at acloud-hosted service such as Amazon S3, or cloud hosted data service) inan encrypted format accessible to authorized and verified users. Next,at least one characteristic of the specimen sample 102 is determinedbased on the information (e.g., that the color of the blood is redrather than green). Tracking and status information, as well asnotifications or reminders, regarding the specimen sample 102 may beprovided in real-time or near real-time to one or more of the computingdevices disclosed herein. Each of these steps and aspects will bedescribed in greater detail below.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile device 101 may include, for example, asmart phone with an integrated camera. The embodiments herein will bedescribed and illustrated primarily in relation to smart phones, howeverit is appreciated that portable digital cameras, laptops, tablets, andsimilar imaging devices, or other electronic devices equipped withcamera or imaging technology may be used without departing from thescope of the subject matter described herein. Such electronic devicesmay thus include any computing and/or communication devices adapted tocommunicate over fixed or wireless networks, such as smartphones ortablet computers, similarly adapted to have either on-board camera orimaging technology, or alternatively connected to a camera or otherimaging device (either by a fixed connection or by a wirelessconnection, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a similar appropriate wirelessprotocol). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, however,that this description is not intended to limit the scope of thedescribed embodiments to implementation on these particular devices. Forexample, the methods and systems described herein may be applied to anyappropriate communication device or data processing device that issuitably adapted, whether portable or wirelessly enabled or not, whetherprovided with voice communication capabilities or not, and additionallyor alternatively adapted to process data and carry out operations ondata in response to user commands for any number of purposes, includingproductivity and entertainment. Thus, the embodiments described hereinmay be implemented on computing devices adapted for digital imaging orphotography, including without limitation cellular phones, smartphones,wireless organizers, personal digital assistants, desktop computers,terminals, laptops, tablets, handheld wireless communication devices,notebook computers, entertainment devices such as MP3 or video players,and the like. Unless expressly stated, an electronic device, camera, orimaging device may include any such device.

A technician may capture an image of a biological inventory item orspecimen sample 102, such as a vial of a blood with a barcode or otheridentifier 105 attached to the sample using a mobile device 101. Thecaptured image may also be associated with metadata such as location,time, and credential information. All of this information is transmittedto an offsite server 100 such as a cloud data service or webserver. Inone or more embodiments, no confidential information, including thecaptured image data, are stored on the mobile device 101. Thetransmission of the information is encrypted and is also stored in anencrypted form in the offsite server 100. In one embodiment, thecaptured image is analyzed by a human to determine whether the image isvalid and acceptable. For example, the image should be well lit and notskewed or out-of-focus, so that both the identifier 105 on the sample102 is legible and also that potentially useful information about thesample 102 can be determined. This may include whether the sample 102 isan expected color, consistency, or volume. In another embodiment, themobile device 101, a program executing on an external server, and/or thecloud-based service may automatically perform image analysis todetermine whether the image is acceptable. If not, the technician may beprompted on the mobile device 101 to re-capture an image of the sample102. Once an acceptable image has been captured, a signal may betransmitted to the mobile device 101 to provide an indication to thetechnician that the image capture process has been successfullycompleted.

Once image and other data for a specimen sample 102 has been uploaded tothe offsite server 100, additional functionality may be available. Forexample, time and/or location tracking of the sample may be performed,similar to tracking a package, including real-time or near real-timetracking and status information. Thus, a sample 102 may be location andtime-stamped when collected and uploaded to the offsite server 100 andthen stamped again when the sample 102 arrives at a central testingfacility or laboratory. Additional images of the sample may be capturedto further provide an indication of progress or status of the sample102. For example, an image of the sample 102 captured upon collectionmay be compared with an image of the same sample 102 captured severaldays later upon arrival at a laboratory in order to determine anydifferences and thus infer any potential problems. Example differenceswhich may be determined include a volume of the sample 102, samplequality, or whether the sample container (e.g., vial) is broken orcompromised in any way.

After successful transmission of the image, the captured image may beremoved from permanent and temporary memory of the mobile device 101,along with all identifying information for security purposes. In one ormore embodiments, the mobile device 101 may have control code configuredto delete the captured image and data upon receiving a notification thatthe image has been successfully uploaded and/or accepted.

In one embodiment, an administration interface 104 may be provided tothe offsite server 100 in order to manage the stored data. This mayallow users other than the technicians collecting the samples anduploading the captured image data to perform additional functions whichmay not be accessible via the mobile app. For example, the offsiteserver 100 may integrate with various electronic calendar or schedulingsystems to determine when samples are expected to be collected andprovide reminders or other prompts to technicians, via the mobile app,in the event that there is a mismatch between the schedule and thereceived data. In one scenario, a patient is expected to provide a bloodsample at 1:00 PM according to a schedule. The patient, however, cancelsthe appointment and the sample is never collected. After a predeterminedtime has elapsed after the appointment time, the mobile application mayalert or notify the technician that an expected 1:00 PM sample from thatpatient was not received. If, however, the technician updates thecalendar before 1:00 PM to show the cancellation, the mobile applicationmay avoid notifying the technician (e.g., there is no longer amismatch). In another scenario, the patient is expected to provide asample at 1:00 PM does arrive and provides a sample, but the technicianforgets to capture an image of the sample and upload it. In such case,the mobile application may alert or notify the technician that anexpected 1:00 PM sample from that patient was not received. Thetechnician may then provide the sample data.

In one or more embodiments, a program residing on the mobile device 101or on an external server may de-identify any portion of or any imagecontaining sensitive information or information not expected from aspecimen sample 102. For example, the program may be configured toidentify a human and then blur or other render non-viewable the human inthe image. Additionally, the program may be configured to identifydocuments in the background of an image that contain sensitiveinformation and perform similar image processing on those documents.

Referring now to FIG. 2, according to one embodiment of the invention, asystem for cloud hosted specimen sample tracking using a mobileapplication is provided. The system may include a mobile device 200 witha digital imaging subsystem 201 configured to receive image data andindicator information for a captured image associated with a biologicalinventory item 202. The mobile device 200 may be further configured todetermine at least one physically attribute of the biological inventoryitem 202 based on the image data and indicator information. The systemmay also include a data store 204 configured to receive and store imagedata and indicator information for the biological inventory item 202 anda wireless communication network 203 for communicating the image dataand indicator information for the biological inventory item 202 betweenthe mobile device 200 and data store 204.

Referring now to FIG. 3, according to another embodiment of theinvention, a process for cloud hosted specimen sample tracking using amobile application is provided. The process may include inputtinginformation from a mobile device about a specimen sample, whereininputting the information includes capturing an image of the specimensample using the mobile device and wherein the captured image includesan identifying indicia. The process may further include uploading andstoring the information in an encrypted format accessible to authorizedand verified users. According to this embodiment of the invention, atleast one physical attribute of the specimen sample may be determinedbased on the information, tracking and status updates may be provided inreal-time or near real-time for the specimen sample, and firstnotification or reminders regarding the specimen sample may be providedto the mobile device.

According to another aspect, the present invention may be useful incontexts in addition to routine clinical practice. For example, thepresent invention may provide a clear chain of custody for rape kits orother specimens collected in hospitals. Moreover, blood samples or otherspecimens collected by law enforcement or crime-scene investigators maybe uploaded and tracked using the method and systems described herein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium (including, but not limitedto, non-transitory computer readable storage media). A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the lattersituation scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It is understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in FIG. 1 illustrate the architecture,functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems,methods and computer program products according to various embodimentsof the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart orblock diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code,which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). It should also be noted, in somealternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occurout of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining information froma mobile device about a specimen sample, wherein determining theinformation includes capturing an image of the specimen sample using themobile device and wherein the captured image includes an identifyingindicia; uploading and causing to store the information in an encryptedformat accessible to authorized and verified users; wherein at least onephysical attribute of the specimen sample is determined based on theinformation, the physical attribute based on additional informationbeyond the identifying indicia based on comparing the determinedphysical attribute with an expected physical attribute that isassociated with the determined information of the captured image;wherein tracking and status updates are provided in real-time or nearreal-time for the specimen sample; and wherein first notifications orreminders regarding the specimen sample are received by the mobiledevice at a time after determining information about the specimensample.
 2. The method of claim 1, further including receiving a secondnotification that the captured image is acceptable or not acceptable,and when not acceptable, directing the mobile device or a user of themobile device to capture a subsequent image.
 3. The method of claim 1,further including receiving a second notification that the capturedimage that was expected has not been received, wherein an externalentity monitors an expected schedule of images to be uploaded.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further including removing the captured image fromthe mobile device upon receipt or the captured image by an externalserver.
 5. A computer program product, said computer program productcomprising: determining information from a mobile device about aspecimen sample, wherein determining the information includes capturingan image of the specimen sample using the mobile device and wherein thecaptured image includes an identifying indicia; uploading and causing tostore the information in an encrypted format accessible to authorizedand verified users; wherein at least one physical attribute of thespecimen sample is determined based on the information, the physicalattribute based on additional information beyond the identifying indiciabased on comparing the determined physical attribute with an expectedphysical attribute that is associated with the determined information ofthe captured image; wherein tracking and status updates are provided inreal-time or near real-time for the specimen sample; and wherein firstnotifications or reminders regarding the specimen sample are received bythe mobile device at a time after determining information about thespecimen sample.
 6. The product of claim 5, wherein the code is furtherconfigured for receiving a notification that a captured image isacceptable or not acceptable, and when not acceptable, directing themobile device or a user of the mobile device to capture a subsequentimage.
 7. The product of claim 5, wherein the code is further configurefor receiving a notification that a captured image that was expected hasnot been received, wherein an external entity monitors an expectedschedule of images to be uploaded.
 8. The product of claim 5, whereinthe code is further configure for removing the captured image from themobile device upon receipt by an external server.
 9. A server having aprocessor and a memory, the server configured for: receiving inputinformation from a mobile device about a specimen sample, wherein theinput information includes a captured image of the specimen sample usingthe mobile device and wherein the captured image includes an identifyingindicia; receiving uploaded and stored information in an encryptedformat accessible to authorized and verified users; determining at leastone physical attribute of the specimen sample based on the information;providing tracking and status information is provided in real-time ornear real-time for the specimen sample; and providing notifications orreminders regarding the specimen sample to the mobile device.
 10. Theserver of claim 9, further configured for transmitting a notificationthat a captured image is acceptable or not acceptable, and when notacceptable, directing the mobile device or a user of the mobile deviceto capture a subsequent image.
 11. The server of claim 9, furtherconfigured for determining that a captured image that was expected hasnot been received, and generating a notification that a captured imagethat was expected has not been received.
 12. The server of claim 9,further configured for directing the mobile device to remove thecaptured image therefrom after a successful transmission.
 13. The serverof claim 9, further configured for identifying confidential, private, orother sensitive information, and further configured for applying animage processing technique to the portion of the image having theconfidential, private, or sensitive information to render that portionundiscernible.